New discussion on R.O. water

[Ross]

Reverse Osmosis water has been discussed here, nearly to death. But one factor that comes up a lot is that it may be "wasteful", in some folks eyes.

I did a pretty exhaustive search on the web this afternoon, and based on what I came up with, plus my personal knowledge having used R.O. water for years, I came up with:

1) RO is wasteful - well it appears, that may or may not, be the case depending on where you live and the type of unit you install. According to this web site: About.com: http://www.osmonics.com/products/page833.htm , reverse osmosis systems are often pressure systems that appear (to me) to have little waste. That is the case with Culligen systems and lots of commercial Home Depot style systems as well.

2) "Waste" may be a relative thing, depending on where you live. I personally live in one of the Great Lakes States where water seems to be in abundance. If I am not in error, several of the lower mid-west states' Governors recently tried a maneuver to get a canal dug to drain water from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River to allow barges to float! This might be a definition of waste. So if water is pressed though a membrain and a certain amount is cast off to "go down the drain" - where does that water go? In my case (and most others) it goes back to the source. In my case, that is back to ground water. In the case of the Floridians enjoying RO water, that is the gulf or the Atlantic - slightly higher in salt.

3) Lots of people here seem to be struggling with how to best get water to their orchids in the highest quality within their means. RO is very affordable and very earth friendly. I only hope this thread serves to start a meaningful discussion with backed-up evidence.